First Person: Stephanie Richardson
There is a magic that happens at portfolio center, though I doubt that any of us can pinpoint where that magic lies. Somewhere in-between the 5am class with Hank and the internship and the class assignment that no one can get a handle on.... somewhere in-between or beyond the tangle of experiences at PC, some seed of PC magic makes its way into us and begins to shift our experience and ability. Early on it's hard to see or even imagine what could come of this education besides more insanity. And then it ends.
It's a mixed blessing, this stunning and sudden end. The magic gives way to the unknown, the future. Nonetheless, here I am. A graduate, grateful and pursuing. The hair that had begun to fall out has just come back in, and I've already managed to shoot for Inside Edition, HBO, TBS, CNN, and Atlanta Magazine, which is amazing.
School ended and, portfolio barely off the printer, I began trying to show it to most anyone who would give it a gander. I went to New York and then showed it in Atlanta. I think the desire to be discovered is pretty big these days--reality TV and whatnot. I'm not immune. I occasionally have the desire to be "discovered," a desire that when unfanned seems to melt into the hopes of being given a chance. Just as I was reaching this point, I got a call from Hector Sanchez at Atlanta Magazine. "Would you be available to shoot at the end of the week?"
The end of the week led to a successful shoot with Fonzworth Bentley, a charming up and coming Hip Hop star and author, which then was followed shortly by a shoot with Bobbie Battista, a long time CNN anchor. Though I have little fame of my own at this point, at least I've been able to make fame look good on others and hard work look good on me! So, keep your eyes open! You'll see my work hot off the presses soon.
In the meantime, I've got work up at Graveyard Tavern in East Atlanta, and I've been given the marvelous opportunity to be a photographer at StudioBurns here in the heart of Atlanta. www.studioburns.com.
